Joined Cases C-501/06 P, C-513/06 P, C-515/06 P and C-519/06 P: Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 6 October 2009 — GlaxoSmithKline Services Unlimited, formerly Glaxo Wellcome plc (C-501/06 P), Commission of the European Communities (C-513/06 P), European Association of Euro Pharmaceutical Companies (EAEPC) (C-515/06 P), Asociación de exportadores españoles de productos farmacéuticos (Aseprofar) (C-519/09 P) v Commission of the European Communities, European Association of Euro Pharmaceutical Companies (EAEPC), Bundesverband der Arzneimittel-Importeure eV, Spain Pharma SA, Asociación de exportadores españoles de productos farmacéuticos (Aseprofar) (Appeals — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Restriction of parallel trade in medicines — Article 81(1) EC — Restriction of competition by object — National price regulations — Replacement of grounds — Article 81(3) EC — Contribution to promoting technical progress — Review — Burden of proof — Statement of reasons — Interest in bringing proceedings)
Date: 2009-10-06
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: European Commission, General Court (EU), Spain, action for annulment (EU), appeal, fixing of prices, pharmaceutical product, selling price








C_2009282EN.01000201.xml










21.11.2009   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 282/2





Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 6 October 2009 — GlaxoSmithKline Services Unlimited, formerly Glaxo Wellcome plc (C-501/06 P), Commission of the European Communities (C-513/06 P), European Association of Euro Pharmaceutical Companies (EAEPC) (C-515/06 P), Asociación de exportadores españoles de productos farmacéuticos (Aseprofar) (C-519/09 P) v Commission of the European Communities, European Association of Euro Pharmaceutical Companies (EAEPC), Bundesverband der Arzneimittel-Importeure eV, Spain Pharma SA, Asociación de exportadores españoles de productos farmacéuticos (Aseprofar)
(Joined Cases C-501/06 P, C-513/06 P, C-515/06 P and C-519/06 P) (1)

(Appeals - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices - Restriction of parallel trade in medicines - Article 81(1) EC - Restriction of competition by object - National price regulations - Replacement of grounds - Article 81(3) EC - Contribution to promoting technical progress - Review - Burden of proof - Statement of reasons - Interest in bringing proceedings)
2009/C 282/02
Language of the case: English

Parties


Appellants: GlaxoSmithKline Services Unlimited, formerly Glaxo Wellcome plc, (represented by: I. Forrester QC, S. Martínez Lage, abogado, A. Komninos, dikigoros, A. Schulz, Rechtsanwalt), Commission of the European Communities (represented by: T. Christoforou, F. Castillo de la Torre and E. Gippini Fournier, acting as Agents), European Association of Euro Pharmaceutical Companies (EAEPC) (represented by: M. Hartmann-Rüppel and W. Rehmann, Rechtsanwälte), Asociación de exportadores españoles de productos farmacéuticos (Aseprofar) (represented by: M. Araujo Boyd and J. Buendía Sierra, abogados)

Other parties to the proceedings: Commission of the European Communities (represented by T. Christoforou, F. Castillo de la Torre and E. Gippini Fournier, acting as Agents), European Association of Euro Pharmaceutical Companies (EAEPC) (represented by: M. Hartmann-Rüppel and W. Rehmann, Rechtsanwälte), Bundesverband der Arzneimittel-Importeure eV (represented by: W. Rehmann, Rechtsanwalt), Spain Pharma SA, Asociación de exportadores españoles de productos farmacéuticos (Aseprofar) (represented by: M. Araujo Boyd and J. Buendía Sierra, abogados)

Intervener in support of the Commission: Republic of Poland (represented by: E. Ośniecka-Tamecka, M. Kapko and K. Majcher, acting as Agents)

Re:

Appeal against the judgment of the Court of First Instance (Fourth Chamber, Extended Composition) of 27 September 2006 in Case T-168/01 GlaxoSmithKline Services v Commission, by which the Court of First Instance annulled in part Commission Decision C(2001)1202 final of 8 May 2001 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 81 of the EC Treaty (Cases IV/36.957/F3 Glaxo Wellcome, IV/36.997/F3 Aseprofar and Fedifar, IV/37.121/F3 Spain Pharma, IV/37.138/F3 BAI and IV/37.380/F3 EAEPC) — Prices imposed by the applicant on wholesalers for the sale of its medicines outside the Spanish system of prices fixed by the health services

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Dismisses the appeals brought by GlaxoSmithKline Services Unlimited, formerly Glaxo Wellcome plc, the Commission of the European Communities, the European Association of Euro Pharmaceutical Companies (EAEPC) and the Asociación de exportadores españoles de productos farmacéuticos (Aseprofar);










2.


Orders each party to bear its own costs relating to the respective procedures;










3.


Orders the Republic of Poland to bear its own costs.






(1)  OJ C 42, 24.2.2007.

OJ C 56, 10.3.2007.